


A Walk to Remember

by Kireha



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
Genre: Comfort, F/M, First Season, Fluff, Romance, bickering like an old married couple
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-14
Updated: 2020-02-11
Packaged: 2020-10-18 17:22:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20642885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kireha/pseuds/Kireha
Summary: A walk brings about some relationship development.Set in the first season.





	1. Chapter 1

As Mamoru Chiba ran the same route through the park as he did every evening, a familiar pair of odangos came into view, stopping him in his tracks. Usagi Tsukino was walking aimlessly down the path unaccompanied, shoulders slightly hunched. This should be interesting, he thought. It was always interesting whenever he ran into Usagi. He’d say something inflammatory, she’d come back with an insult, and they went back and forth until he made Usagi mad enough to storm away. It was their shtick. 

“Hey! Odango!” 

Usagi stiffened like a deer caught in headlights, then promptly darted to hide behind the nearest tree. 

...odd. 

Mamoru carefully inched around the tree and was met with a heart-wrenching sight. Usagi sat at the trunk of the tree with her knees against her chest and her head buried in her arms. And she was... crying? 

“Odango?” he ventured. 

She sniffed and scrubbed her face with her sleeves. “What do you want, Mamoru-baka? I really don’t feel like being made fun of at the moment, so will you please just go away?” 

Mamoru felt a crack form in his heart. “What’s wrong?” he said gently. 

“That’s really none of your business.” she said, still not meeting his eyes. 

Mamoru got down on his knees to be at her level. He took the side of her face in his hand and gently forced her to look at him. She gasped but didn’t pull away. 

“Usagi, I know that I act like I hate you most of the time, but I really do care about you. You have so much light inside of you and it hurts to see you so sad like this.” He wiped a stray tear from her face. 

For a second, she scrutinized his face like she couldn’t tell if this was all some kind of prank. Then, Usagi’s face scrunched up in a way that made him think he’d made everything worse until she launched herself at him and hugged him around the waist, burying her face in his shirt. He hesitated for a moment before hugging back, putting one arm around her waist and cradling her head with the other. 

“Thanks, Mamoru.” she sniffed. 

“Anytime.” He felt a smile make its way onto his face. They stayed there a bit longer, taking comfort in each other’s presence. “Do you want to talk about it?” 

Usagi sighed, taking her seat back at the foot of the tree. Mamoru took a seat on the ground beside her. 

“It’s silly...” she said, suddenly looking bashful. 

“The way you feel isn’t silly. If it’s important to you, it’s important to me.” 

She stared at him with a wide-eyed look before looking down at her fidgeting hands. “It’s just... everyone has been on my case lately. My parents, my teachers, even Rei has been dogging me more than usual. They all think I don’t try hard enough, that if I'd only stop being lazy, I could get better grades or be more responsible or whatever, but the thing is I’m barely keeping my head above water! I am so overwhelmed just trying to do my best but it just isn’t good enough.” 

Mamoru paused for a moment, choosing his words with care. 

“They shouldn’t be so hard on you. You can only give so much of yourself before you completely burn out. You have to make sure there’s enough of you left to still function. Their expectations don’t matter. Sometimes you just have to focus on yourself, what you’re capable of at the moment, and not be ashamed of giving the best you can give. Besides, you’re fourteen! You shouldn’t have to be responsible yet! And grades aren’t everything. You’re good at plenty of things besides school.” 

“Like what?” 

“Well,” he thought for a moment, “the way you connect with everyone you meet, for one. I have no idea how you do that. It’s amazing.” 

Usagi flushed and ducked her head. “Thanks, Mamoru.” Shaking off her shyness, she beamed at him. “I feel a lot better now.” 

“Good.” Mamoru chuckled. “Hey, wanna go get some ice cream? My treat.” 

“You know I am never one to turn down food!” 

Mamoru stood up and offered her his hand. She took it, not letting go until they had reached the Crown. 

______ 

Night had fallen by the time they’d finished eating and talking and Mamoru insisted on walking Usagi home. Usagi was practically skipping, all signs of her previous distress gone, while Mamoru slowed his pace to walk in time with her. 

They’d nearly reached her house when she spoke. 

“You know, I’m glad we’re friends, Mamoru.” she said. 

Friends, he tested the word out in his mind. He didn’t have too many of those. Really, he only had Motoki. He never would’ve thought Usagi would consider him a friend given how he antagonizes her on a near-daily basis. Heck, he would’ve settled for mortal enemy, but she considered him a friend. They were friends. His heart warmed at the thought. 

“Me too.” He smiled. Maybe she was wrong, but she could’ve sworn that this was the most non-mocking smiles she’s seen from him in one day. 

“You should be nice to me more often.” she teased. 

He rolled his eyes. “Okay, fine, but can I still call you Odango?” 

“Not a chance!” she laughed. 

“Oh, come on!” 

“No! You were finally turning over a new leaf and now you’re teasing me again!” 

“Hey, I only ever teased you because, one, it’s entertaining when you get mad-” 

She leveled him with a mock glare. 

“-and two, it got your attention.” 

They’d reached the gate. 

Usagi flushed. “W- why did you want my attention?” 

Mamoru, now realizing just what he’s said, experienced several emotions in succession that Usagi couldn’t quite follow, before settling on a look of determination. Placing his hand on the side of her face, he leaned down and tenderly kissed her forehead, 

“Goodnight, Usako.” he whispered. And then he was gone. 

Usagi stood staring at the direction he went for a long time after he left, her face on fire and her brain reduced to mush. 

Huh?!


	2. Chapter 2

“Usagi, you’re not eating. What’s wrong?” 

Usagi and Rei sat at their usual table at the Crown waiting for the girls to get there. Usagi had ordered decidedly less food than usual and she hadn’t even touched it. Something must be seriously wrong, Rei thought. 

Usagi, who had been staring at the wall behind Rei’s head for the past five minutes, shook her head as if to clear it. She tried her best to look like her usual perky self. 

“I’m fine, Rei! You worry too much! So, what’s been going on with you?” 

“Nuh-uh, dummy. I can tell that something’s eating at you. Spill.” 

Usagi deflated and began staring at her sandwich as if it perplexed her. “Well, uh, remember the other day when you yelled at me and I ran off crying?” 

Rei shot her a flat look. “You’re going to have to be more specific.” 

“Hey!” Usagi stole one of Rei’s fries. “It was Saturday!” 

“Oh, ok?” 

Usagi fidgeted in her seat. “Well, I ended up at the park and I ran into Mamoru.” 

“Oh no, what did he do?” Rei asked, having often been an unwilling witness to their screaming matches herself. 

“That’s the thing. He was actually really nice to me.” Usagi told Rei the whole story, ending at her house and the kiss and her confusion. 

Rei took a sip of tea, giving her hopeless friend her famous “you’re an idiot” stare. It unnerved Usagi. 

“Well?! What does it mean?” 

“Usagi, I honestly thought you weren’t a complete idiot, but I guess I was wrong.” She still looked confused. “Come on, say it with me. Mamoru is in love with you.” 

“He WHAT?!” 

“Usagi, use your INSIDE VOICE!” At this point, the other patrons looked either uncomfortable or annoyed, but both girls couldn’t be bothered to care at the moment. 

“He doesn’t like me! He can’t like me! He’s been mean to me since the day we met! He never passes up an opportunity to tease me and get on my last nerve!” 

Rei’s eye started twitching. “Exactly.” 

Usagi gaped at her friend. “Why would he like me of all people?” 

“Uh, love works in mysterious ways?” 

“I’m serious, Rei!” 

“So am I! Have you seriously missed the way he’s been looking at you all this time? The way he seeks you out constantly?” Rei smirked, “He might be terrible at showing it but don’t get me wrong, he’s got it bad.” 

Usagi looked like she was having an epiphany. Rei decided this was more entertaining than cable. 

“So now the question is: how do you feel about him?” 

At that very moment, the front door jingled and in walked Motoki and Mamoru. Mamoru’s eyes roamed the restaurant until they met Usagi’s. He stopped in his tracks and just stared for what seemed like forever before he turned on his heel and promptly walked back out the door. 

“That idiot!” Usagi seethed and ran to follow him. 

Motoki, looking bewildered, took the seat across from Rei. “Uh, what’s going on?” 

Rei sighed. “They’re idiots. I just gave Usagi a little nudge.” They could see Mamoru and Usagi talking right outside the window. They couldn’t be heard, but their body language said enough. At the moment, they looked kind of angry at each other and Usagi was pointing an accusatory finger into Mamoru’s chest. 

“Wait, wait. I thought you liked Mamoru,” he said delicately. Motoki looked perplexed as he started eating Usagi’s abandoned fries. 

“Me? Oh, no. We hung out a couple of times, but it just felt like going out with Usagi’s boyfriend. He got this soft sort of look in his eyes whenever he talked about her, which was a lot by the way. I could just tell he’s in love with her.” 

“Yeah, I kind of figured. I’ve never seen Mamoru act like that with anyone else. He’s usually pretty closed off, even from me sometimes, but he just lights up whenever she’s around.” 

Just then, the girls walk in, warily side-eyeing the intense conversation going on outside. 

Mako was the first to speak up. “Are they- are they okay out there?” Mamoru was saying something arrogant from the looks of it and Usagi was sputtering in rage and indignation. 

“Eh, they’re fine,” Rei answered, “They’re just in the process of realizing they’re in love. Fry?” 

The girls blinked for a beat. 

Mako broke out into a smile. “About time.” 

“Yes! I knew it!” shrieked Minako, “I told you all! I have a sixth sense about these things!” 

“Mina, sometimes I wonder if you even have the usual five,” said Rei. 

“Shut up, Rei. I’m the goddess of love!” 

“Sure...” Rei rolled her eyes. 

“Good for them,” Ami beamed. “Usagi could certainly do worse. And who knows, maybe Mamoru’s good study habits will rub off on her!” 

Mako sighed, “You always were a dreamer, Ami.” 

“Uh, guys?” said Motoki, pointing out the window. 

The girls whipped their heads around to see their friends kissing up a storm in the same place they were just arguing. 

___________________ 

“MAMORU!” Usagi shouted much louder than necessary. 

Mamoru cringed at the volume and turned on his heel. “Geeze, Odango, are you trying to bust my eardrums?” 

Usagi huffed. “You’ve been avoiding me. Care to explain why?” 

Mamoru put on his haughty mask of indifference, but Usagi could see him fidgeting. His hands dived in and out of his pockets like they couldn’t decide where they wanted to rest. He almost looked nervous. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Odango.” 

“Oh, yes you do.” Usagi scoffed. “First you’re nice to me, which is severely out of character for you,” Mamoru rolled his eyes, but Usagi steamrolled on, “then you call me a cute pet name, then you kiss me,” Usagi poked an accusing finger into his pink shirt, “and then I see neither hide nor hair from you for nearly a week, so if you’d like to enlighten me on whatever is going on, I would greatly appreciate it!” 

Mamoru was blushing, but he still tried to keep his composure. 

“I don’t have time for this. I have errands to run, if you’ll excuse me-” He tried to move past her, but she stepped into his path, serving him with a long, calculating stare. 

“What?” he sighed. 

She stared. 

“...you’re freaking me out. Say something.” 

“You do like me, don’t you!” Usagi accused. 

“Say something else.” 

“It’s a simple question. Do you like me or not?” 

“Why does it matter?” 

“Why are you evading the question?” 

“I’m not evading. I am, however, impressed that you used a word above your third-grade vocabulary. Bravo, Odango.” 

“Don’t change the subject!” 

Mamoru scrutinized her for a moment. “You know what I think?” 

“What’s that?” 

“I think that it’s you who has a crush on me.” 

Usagi blanched. “Huh?!” 

“Who’s to say all this accusation isn’t to cover up the true feelings you’ve been harboring for me all along!? I mean, I wouldn’t blame you, Odango. I am a catch.” 

Usagi, who was rapidly turning red from a combination of rage and embarrassment, sputtered. “Sure, a catch like a flesh-eating disease!” 

“Oh, come on. You like me, admit it.” 

“I don’t!” Usagi brought her hand up to lightly shove him, but he readily caught it in his own. 

They had only just realized that their noses were nearly touching. When had they gotten this close? Mamoru glanced at Usagi’s lips. 

“Then prove it.” 

In one swift movement, Usagi grabbed his shirt, pulled him down to her level, and kissed him. He hesitated just long enough to make her think that she’d read the situation terribly wrong before he kissed her back. 

Just like that, everything came into focus. Everything made perfect sense. This was it: what poets write about, what people spend their whole lives searching for: the sublime. The rightness of this moment settled all around Usagi as she enjoyed the wonderful feeling of kissing and being kissed by this boy. 

The boy she loved. 

It seemed silly, now that she thought about it, to have denied and repressed these feelings for so long. It was just that most of the time, Mamoru simply rubbed her the wrong way. Or the right way, so it would seem. 

She could have stayed just like this forever, but unfortunately, she needed to breathe. They parted, pressing their foreheads together, neither willing to be farther from the other than strictly necessary.

“Mamoru?” 

He looked rather dazed and thoroughly kissed, which Usagi decided was a good look for him. He really was too gorgeous for his own good. 

“Huh?” His thumb traced a path from her lower lip to her cheekbone and Usagi was suddenly finding it hard to form coherent thoughts, let alone words or sentences. 

“I- I think I like you.” 

Mamoru chuckled and cupped her cheek delicately. “I think I like you too.” He smiled brightly in a way that shot straight through Usagi’s heart and warmed her whole body. 

Usagi was about to lean in for another kiss but was stopped short by a high-pitched squealing sound. Their heads whipped around to discover that the sound was coming through the window from Minako, who was bouncing up and down and smiling like a crazy person, surrounded by their slack-jawed friends who were staring with wide eyes. 

Mamoru at least had the decency to look sheepish. “I think we’re in trouble.” 

Usagi just sighed, putting Mamoru’s arm around herself and nestling into his side. “Always and forever, love.” 

Mamoru smiled and kissed the top of her head. Then, they cautiously walked back into the restaurant to face the music.


End file.
